Food and friends

I’m reviewing papers in bed until dawn. Then I grab a few hours sleep before the day starts.

There’s a trip to DPD to collect Megan’s new phone. A tour of Sainsburys filling a shopping trolley. And then cookery.

First, I make what claims to be Ukrainian borscht: https://natashaskitchen.com/classic-russian-borscht-recipe/. Then it’s time to cube root veg and reduce spinach. The spinach is rolled up with goats cheese into filo spring rolls.

A visit to Biggar to collect Megan, who has been at an Extinction Revolution gathering in Edinburgh. When we get back, Davy has arrived. Theresa has decided to stay home to look after a sick Amaya and Kim is keeping her company.

Eddie, Diane, and Isaac rock up, and our gathering is complete. It’s been over a year since we last met up - life and forty miles are formidable barriers - and there’s plenty to talk about.

There are generational phases of conversation. The children and mortgage topics are mostly behind us, but we’re entering the “do you remember” and “falling apart due to age” zone. Next up: the funerals ;)

The soup goes down well as does the roast veg and goats cheese. There are two desserts from Theresa and a gingerbread cake from Diane to eat while we wait for the apples to bake.

Something strange happens to the power. A flickering of lights and a drop in voltage. Nonetheless, the apples are eventually consumed with ice cream and we loll about gorged and satiated.

Davy departs while the rest of us chatter away happily.